Almost a Whisper
by nocturnemint
Summary: [GaaraSakura] 5 years have passed and Orochimaru’s power continues to rise. In the midst of the chaos, a secret is hidden, the future endangered, and an unlikely pair comes together… [Does not follow many of the recent developments]
1. A Note

A note to all my readers:

**_I have been a bad author_**. I have abandoned this fiction and many assumed that I have left it for dead. But I could not. For four years, it has haunted the recesses of my mind and would not leave me until I have finished writing its end. And so I find myself, dear reader, at 9 o'clock on a Monday evening, typing furiously so that I could bridge the two lovers together. For those of you returning, I hope you enjoy this as you did the first time you read it, and for those of you who have just started, I hope that this fiction will shock, jerk, and move you. The work is in the process of revision, so for the former readers, you will notice that more than ¾ of my chapters are gone. Have no fear, the second batch should return by tomorrow or Wednesday night. Then we will start the new chapters. And so without further ado, I bring you…

Almost a Whisper.


	2. A Prelude to the Game

Chapter I: A Prelude to the Game

AN: …  Words in these indicate thought. Also, I do not own any rights to Naruto.

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Jade eyes blinked wearily once. A muffled groan resonated around the abandoned room.

_Damn, it's cold. How long have I been here…_

_Mother… Why have you abandoned me…?_

His attackers had put up a good fight. His sand had not tasted that much blood in months. But his chakra was running thin and the sand could not keep up with the fast attacks. A senbon had reached its target and ended the fight.

He woke up in this dark room. He was given food and water. It was meager, but nourishing. Yet why they would give him any nutritional supplement at all baffled him. In fact, why did they keep him alive?

_Feh, how pathetic._

His thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door.

----------

"Get in there girl before I slit your pretty little throat."

"You won't keep me here for long! They'll find me. You're underestimating my teammates." She retorted, emerald eyes narrowing with anger.

It was difficult to deceiver the man's identity. Light flooded in from the hallway behind him, guarding the man's facial features. He snorted and turned on his heel. Pausing, he tilted his head slightly towards her.

"Don't even bother to waste your chakra on jutsus. We injected you with fluid to prevent any summoning of chakra."

The door slammed heavily behind him.

----------

Sakura sighed. The whole situation was unbelievable. How does she manage to get into these kinds of predicaments? Surely Naruto or Sasuke-kun would not have been so easily captured…

She shook her head. Thoughts of either Naruto or Sasuke-kun would not do. Naruto and Sasuke-kun were on an S-class mission with Kakashi-sensei. Chances were that they would not return to Konoha for a few weeks. It could be a month before they find her.

She smiled bitterly. Lately, more and more missions were done without her. Sakura knew that she was not the strongest ninja in the village, or the bravest. Still, it had hurt immensely whenever her team was commissioned missions without her…

----------

_Flashback_

"_Why are you leaving without me again? Am I not a part of this team?_"Sakura screamed.

"_Sakura. There is a specific reason why you are being excused from this mission. A reason that I cannot tell you about right now._" Kakashi murmured.

"_And why is that! Why is it that lately everyone has been treating me like porcelain! I did not study or train my ass off for this! I did not put my life on the line for this! Goddammit sensei, I'm a ninja!"_ She cried as she beat on his chest.

"_Sakura, stand down. You're a mature woman now, therefore act like one. 18 years old, and yet you still throw temper tantrums? I'm beginning to wonder if your reputation as the most mature girl in the village was exaggerated." _Kakashi drawled.

Sakura stopped. She stepped back. She noticed that Naruto and Sasuke were watching from a distance. Naruto's expression was pained; even Sasuke looked a little uncertain.

"_What, what's going on? I'm sorry sensei. I cannot… I cannot take this anymore. If you leave for this mission without me, then I withdraw from the team. I can't take being treated like this anymore." _She whispered as she stepped back. "_Good luck…_"

Then she fled from the plain.

"_Sakura… when we come back, I will explain everything to you. I swear it._" Kakashi thought as he watched her run.

"_Yosh... Naruto, Sasuke. Let's go._"

----------

That was the last time she saw them. Who knows, perhaps they had finished their mission and had begun searching for her. Sakura shook her head. No, she couldn't count on them. There were too many unknown factors to hope for rescue.

Her kidnappers were from another village, she was certain of that. She knew she was somewhere up north because of the freezing climate. But she knew nothing of their intentions…

----------

_Flashback_

"_What… what do you want from me?_" Sakura whispered as she clutched her mother's body. "_Why did you kill her?_"

The man sneered. "_You ask too many questions. Come with us voluntarily, and we spare your village. Resist, and we will smite this village from the earth_."

Sakura tightened her hold.

"_How do I know you're not bluffing?_"

The man made a signal to his subordinate and something heavy rolled toward her feet. Sakura suppressed a shriek of horror.

It was the head of the gatesman. Several other heads began to roll near her. The gatesman's wife. His child. Her playmate.

Turning away, Sakura promptly threw up. She wiped her mouth and avoided looking at the heads.

"…_At least tell me what you want with me before I come with you._" She stammered.

"_I said you asked too many questions._"

The world faded.

----------

Sakura's mother had tried everything to protect her. But before she finished the hand movements of her final jutsu, a kunai pierced her heart. Sakura watched the entire fight, her fear rendering her body useless. Helpless, like she always was.

"I'm so weak. No wonder they didn't take me along with them to the mission. I would have only hindered them" She muttered bitterly.

A rustle from somewhere in the room interrupted her reflections. Instinctively, her hand reached for her kunai.

_Shit, I forgot that they took them from me. The bastards._ She swore. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Nothing.

Not even the sound of a smirk.

_Damn, this looks bad.. No kunai. Can't even do a jutsu…_ "I SAID SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Hn… So you were caught too. Foolish girl." The voice said mirthlessly.

_Where… Where have I heard that voice before…?_ A mounting fear began to build up inside. _Where…? _ "Who… who are you?" she whispered.

"Don't ask me stupid questions. Just shut up. You're wasting air."

It was then Sakura noticed that the room was small. Extremely small. It was not adequate enough to allow enough air to last a single person for a week, let alone two. But that wasn't important right now. Who was the person she was sharing her cell with? Would he kill her? …Did she know him?

What could she do? Surely she wasn't so stupid as to actually go and _search_ for the voice's owner?

She stepped forward.

----------

The boy stirred. The girl was coming closer. Gaara frowned as he recognized her scent. It was that annoying girl who followed dogged the Uchiha's heels. Just his luck.

"Stop."

The girl stopped. From her body position, it was easy to tell that she was afraid of him. Good.

"At least give me your name so I know who I'm sharing this cell with." She murmured.

"It is irrelevant."

He let the tiniest of smirks grace his lips as he felt the girl stiffen with irritation. Then quietly, she offered a response.

"Aa... Well, my name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura of Konoha."

"I said it was irrelevant."

A crack of the knuckles was heard in the darkness, and then…

"You rude shit! It's common courtesy to give your name when someone gives you theirs!"

"…I don't have to respond to your so-called rules of courtesy, but if you desire my name that badly, I am Garra of the Sand."

----------

Sakura's mind swirled.

Gaara of the Sand? As in, _that_ Gaara? The freaky bloodthirsty kid who almost killed them all in the forest?**She was sharing her cell with _him!_**

Sakura moaned, and the world faded to black.

-----------

AN: Not many changes here. Onward!


	3. Tension Rising

Chapter II: Tension Rising

AN: I do not own the rights to Naruto. Please enjoy!

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"Ahhh, it's good to be home!" Naruto shouted as he stretched.

The mission was a huge success. Team 7 was to gather information regarding Orochimaru and the probability of coming back alive was almost slim to none. Yet surprisingly, the mission went smoothly. Granted, they didn't come back unscathed, but at least no one died in the attempt.

"…It was easy. Perhaps _too _easy…" Kakashi thought. "No matter. We are home, and I promised Sakura an explanation."

Suddenly, a whirlwind of leaves announced a shinobi's arrival and automatically the team resumed defensive positions, kunai drawn and ready.

"Aa! Iruka-sensei! Did you come to welcome us home?" Naruto asked gleefully, gingerly putting away his weapons.

"No. Your presence is requested by the Hokage." Iruka replied.

Puzzlement was evident in the visages of the trio.

"I have barely written my report, Iruka. Has something happened while we were gone?"

"…It is better if you just go to the Hokage, Kakashi. I shall meet you all there."

With a clouded smile so unlike the cheerful sensei, he bode them farewell and disappeared.

"Um sensei, what's going on?" Naruto asked, turning to Kakashi.

"It could be that Orichimaru has planned an earlier attack." Sasuke considered out loud.

"Perhaps. In any case, let's go." _Sakura… could this all have something to do with you?_

----------

"Hokage-sama. We have thoroughly searched the entire village and even in the surrounding wilderness, yet there seems to be no trace of either Sakura or the attackers." An ANBU member reported as he knelt.

"And our allies? Have they given us any possible sightings?" Tsunade asked, eyes closed in meditation.

"Iie. The Water and Grass countries haven't seen a woman with pink hair or any foreign shinobi trespassing on their land."

"Then this is indeed a problem."

_poom_

"Ah… Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke. You came just in time." Tsunade nodded in welcome.

"Hey Obaa-san! What's going on?" Naruto asked, looking around at the various ANBU members situated around the room.

Tsunade sighed. Truly, there was no easy way to say this so she might as well bite the bullet.

"This may come as a shock, but it appears that Sakura was… taken against her will from the village a few days ago."

Their eyes widened in surprise. Kakashi was inwardly shaken. _Have they moved this quickly! Impossible, the information was restricted to only a few members of this village!_

"Sa-Sakura-chan? Kidnapped! WHAT! _WHAT HAPPENED!_"Naruto shouted.

Tsunade glanced at Kakashi. He turned away. "Obviously no one would be foolish to act against the Leaf in such dire circumstances, Naruto. There must be a reason why _only_ Sakura was taken. We have reason to believe that she was _forced_ to make the decision to leave. The heads of the gatesman and his family, along with a friend of the child it seems, was found in the Haruno's home. Therefore, it is very possible that the attackers were in position to attack the village at any given notice."

"However what eludes me is _how_ the attackers were able to penetrate the village without raising the alert of the guardsmen, or at least the ANBU." Tsunade drawled, casting a wary eye at the masked figures.

A man with the mask of a fox stepped forward.

"Forgive us Hokage-sama. It appeared that the attackers used our ventilation system to their advantage by placing a sleeping gas bomb in the main directory. As a result, our entire squad was knocked out." He murmured.

"**WHO THE HELL CARES ABOUT THAT? OUR SAKURA-CHAN WAS _KIDNAPPED_ AND ALL WE'RE DOING IS _TALKING!_**" Naruto screamed.

Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Calm down Naruto. We need to gather background information before acting. Did you forget this basic already?"

Naruto scowled. "Of course not, sensei. But it just makes me so damn _frustrated_ that while we're here, safe and sound, Sakura-chan is with some worthless _scum_ and God knows what's happening to her…"

Kakashi's eyes softened. "I know Naruto. I know, but we have to be a little patient, ne? I'm sure that everyone is worried for her, but look at Sasuke. He takes this calmly."

"Pah. Sasuke." Naruto glowered at his rival and received a glare in return.

"Now Kakashi. Do you want to tell them or should I?" Tsunade asked, her eyebrow rising in invitation.

His students glanced at him questioningly. Kakashi sighed. "Yeah, I was just getting to that."

----------

Sakura stirred. _Ugh…what a horrible dream I had. I dreamt I was stuck in this horrible room and I couldn't use my chakra… Worst of all, I was stuck with **him**._

She stretched and smiled. _Oh Sakura, you foo---_ Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings.

"**_ARGHHHHHHH! IT WASN'T A DREAM!_**" Sakura began to beat her head against the wall. _I must have been cursed in my previous life. I must have been a really, really awful person… _

"Although it makes no difference to me whether or not you smash your head against the wall… _stop it_. You actions are annoying." His voice drifted to her.

Sakura whirled towards the figure sitting nonchalantly in the corner. Pausing, she took the second to point a finger and prepare her lungs for the screaming fest to come.

"**YOU**! What difference does it make to _me_ if bashing my head against the wall annoys _you_! I'm stuck here! **_With you_**!" She shrieked. _Argh…Sakura you really **are** an idiot. He'll kill you for sure!_ BUT HE CALLED ME ANNOYING. DAMN, I HATE IT WHEN THEY DO THAT! 

"… Just shut up. You're wasting air."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. _Monster or not, he's still a jerk._ "Well I'm sorry _your grace_." She simpered. "I'll try to breathe as little as possible! In the mean time, I'll continue to bash my head against this wall in the hopes that maybe those people will take me out of this cell and get me away from you!"

"Again, what difference does this make to me? It's win/win. I get more air, and never again will your unusually large forehead cross my sight."

Sakura twitched. _Unusually… large… forehead! Christ, when he hits those buttons, he **smashes** into them!_ "YOU POMPOUS ASS! Like you should talk! My forehead is perfectly fine, unlike that freaky tattoo you have on yours!"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. No one, and he meant _no one_, ever poked fun at his mark and lived to repeat it. Sakura stiffened at the look in Gaara's eyes. _Well...this is it. I've stuffed my feet into my mouth and now he's going to make me choke on them. Goombye world._

But before he moved to strangle her to death, the door opened and their food was hastily shoved in. Gaara sighed.

Death could wait. Food was important.

---------

"So..." Sakura drawled while munching on some unidentifiable food item. "What happened to you? Why are you here?"

Gaara completely ignored the fact that ten minutes ago, she was turning all shades of purple and red screaming at him and he was very willing to squeeze the life out of her. Why is it that food makes everything better? This must be kept in mind…

"It's none of your business."

"Well, its appears that we're gonna be stuck together for a long period of time, so might as well try and make the best of it by being friends."

"I have no need for companions. They only lead to betrayal and destruction."

Sakura's eyes widened. _Well, that's a chipper of an answer if I ever heard one. What happened to you…? _ She sat quietly for a moment, absentmindedly biting her lip. "Damn it!" she hissed. She had accidentally bitten too hard, causing blood to pool in her mouth.

Sakura spat it out, grimacing at the coppery taste in her mouth. Gaara's eyes widened.

_Blood…_

----------

Kakashi leaned against a wall. At once, Naruto could sense that the tale was going to be exhausting on their sensei.

"Sakura's mother came to me after training one day. I was surprised of course, since I hardly encourage parent-teacher conversations. However, she came to me for a different reason other than to inquire about Sakura's progress…"

----------

_Flashback_

"_Kakashi-san, may I speak to you for a moment_?" Tomoe Haruno whispered, appearing behind Kakashi.

"_Aa, Tomoe-san. What is it you wish to speak of?_" Kakashi asked, tilting his head in acknowledgement.

"_Not here. Someplace more private. I'd rather talk at my home, if you please._" Kakashi raised his eyebrow, questioning the slightly nervous woman before him.

"_Very well… Lead the way._"

The Haruno's home was well furnished. Comfortable. Cozy. Kakashi mused briefly on the benefits of taking a wife and raising a family. Sighing, he shook his head of such impossible thoughts and focused his attention on Sakura's mother.

"_So Tomoe-san. What is it that you wish to speak to me about?_"

Sakura's mother glanced around the room before looking at Kakashi's partially hidden face.

"_It's about Sakura._"

"_Oh? Well, don't worry about her Tomoe-san. She's still the top member in the team when it comes to chakra control, and the most intelligent. It seems that she is also picking up faster than her teammates on several new jutsus that I've introduced._"

"_No…that's not what I want to talk to you about_."

Kakashi frowned. This could be serious. "_Is something wrong?_"

"_Kakashi-san, I've been meaning to tell the council this secret for many, many years now. However, it was the failure of personal courage or unfavorable circumstances which prevented me from doing so. Right now, I fear that I do not trust the council enough. There could be possible spies._"

Kakashi nodded. Yes, that possibility was true. They were certain it could be one of the senior ANBU members, however they needed more evidence before taking action. Well, Neji and Morini were on the case. Never was there such a powerful interrogation team so efficient like that pair.

"_Yes, I understand. Please continue._" Tomoe took a breath.

"_Kakashi-sensei, surely you must have noticed that Sakura has become quicker in battle, more efficient at target throws. I heard even that she was able to beat Sasuke-kun in a particular type of jutsu._"

"_Hai. It was really only for healing purposes, however. Just in case they were stranded in a place where natural medicinal herbs were lacking._ _To be honest, I didn't think Sakura could handle that difficult jutsu. Granted, she has excellent chakra control. But it's a jutsu which requires a certain skill level. I do not mean to offend, Tomoe-san, but neither you nor Hideki-san has a high enough level of ninja skill…_"

Tomoe looked up sharply. She searched into his eyes. _Does he suspect…?_ As if he could read her thoughts, Kakashi nodded.

"_Aa…then you already know that Sakura is not truly Hideki's daughter._"

"_Yes, I have suspected for quite some time now._ _I have only a few questions…_"

Tomoe hung her head. _So he knows. How many others have figured this out? Kami-sama…_

----------

Sakura noticed Gaara staring at her. _Ugh… he's freaking me out. Why is he staring at me!_

Gaara stood up and started to walk towards her.

_Damn, is he really going to kill me after all!._ Alarmed, her body backed into a wall.

He was six paces away from her now. Five. Three. Now he was close enough for her to smell him. She shook her head. Good God, what kind of things was she thinking about? Suddenly Gaara was in front of her. He bent down. Sakura's breath quickened. They were face-to-face. Sakura could feel his warm breath on her skin. The moment seemed to stretch on for hours.

Unexpectedly, Gaara traced her lip with his finger. Her blood smeared onto his finger. He continued to trace her lips with a soft, yet firm pressure. Despite herself, Sakura shivered. His body's proximity with her own created a heated feeling, deeply coiled within her.

_What…what is he…_

He leaned towards her. His hot breath seemed pleasurable on her hyper-sensitized skin. Sakura let out a little moan. Was he…was he going to kiss her?

Gaara's lips moved toward her ear. Sakura closed her eyes in half anticipation. She could feel his lips parting.

"_You're bleeding…_"

And then abruptly, he moved to his corner and sat down. The body heat was gone. Sakura took in a shaky breath.

_What… what the hell was that…?_

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	4. The Beginnings of Tenderness

Chapter III: The Beginnings of Tenderness

AN: I do not own the rights to Naruto. Blahblah. Enjoy!

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"_Aa…then you already know that Sakura is not truly Hideki's daughter._"

"_Yes, I have suspected for quite some time now._ _I have only a few questions…_"

Tomoe took in a breath. This would take all her courage.

"_Does Sakura know?_" Tomoe shook her head.

"_Little bits and pieces. She suspects because she looks **nothing **like Hideki. But she takes it quite calmly. I was surprised when she asked me out in the open. But I could not answer her. It was too risky. I felt that she had to develop first, as both a woman and a ninja. Then I felt that she could handle the truth. Until then, I had thought she was too young to do so._"

Kakashi murmured his approval, as Tomoe sipped her tea. A tense silence filled the room and choked all conversation for a while. Kakashi contented himself by looking out the window. After the last sparrow had cleared from the garden, Tomoe cleared her throat and began to speak again.

"_Kakashi-sensei. I'm not of this village. You know this. I fled my own village and eventually came to Konoha, seeking asylum. To be honest, sensei, I was not raised as a ninja, but as a noblewoman. I had never known my parents, but my adoptive family was kind and took me in as their own._"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. _If her family was kind…then why did she flee?_ He beckoned her to continue.

"_One day, I was bathing in a lake when I felt a change come over me. It is difficult to describe, this feeling, even after 34 years. The best way I could describe it was that it felt like… it felt like a breath of crisp icy mist filling my core and traveling throughout my entire being. It was… the most exquisite feeling._"

Kakashi cleared his throat. The woman's ethereal expression was quite …intriguing, to say the least, but oh so very uncomfortable.

"_I knew then that something spectacular had changed. Something was different about me, yet I wasn't sure what. I would find out a few days later…_"

----------

_Tomoe's Flashback_

It was difficult to resist going back to that lake. Nothing in the world had made her feel this way. But she was a noblewoman. Noblewomen do _not_ abandon their duties for a moment of ecstasy.

…It did not take her long to go back.

Stripping herself of her kimono, she shivered as she slowly stepped into the lake. Almost immediately, that beautiful feeling came back.

_What are you doing here._

Tomoe's eyes widened in shock. Instinctively, her arms crossed to cover her breasts.

"Who is it? Who's there!" she barked, anger and embarrassment lightly dusting her cheeks.

_Tsk onna. You are afraid? _

"Show yourself!" she hissed.

_We answer to no one. You have stepped into these waters of your own accord, and you will understand why they have drawn you so._

Tomoe shivered. How did this voice find itself into her mind? Was a trick, or was it something more? More sinister, or more ancient… And was there no way to cover herself at all?

_Exquisite beauty. You truly belong to us.._

"Never." She breathed, tilting her chin in defiance.

_It is too late. You have come back twice. That is enough proof that you have come here to claim your birthright, and cement your place with us._

Tomoe whispered, shaken by the words resonating within her mind. "I belong to _no one_."

_Naïve onna. Have you never wondered about your true heritage? Your background is as prestige as they come_. _Even higher than your current status as 'noblewoman.'_

"…What do you mean?"

_Dive, and we shall show you_. _Swim back to shore, and this opportunity will never rise again. Decide wisely._

Should she do it? Obviously there must be reason for this person(s?) to warn her. Could she risk everything for this knowledge? Everything she held stable and dear…?

_Yes._

And then she dived.

----------

Sakura couldn't stop herself from glancing in Gaara's direction every once in a while. What caused him to act so oddly?

She closed her eyes. _That feeling… what was that feeling? I never felt so… heated in my life, that's the best way I can put it._

She chuckled and ran her fingers loosely through her hair. _Oh Sakura, you really are a fool._ _Is this lust?_

Briefly, her mind recalled a conversation between her mother and herself regarding the difference between lust and love. Sakura had argued that one would easily recognize the difference. Her mother argued that one's lust could cloud one's perception of love.

"_Only when lust and love are combined will any relationship be effective, Sakura. Above all know this: Love must rank above your passion for the man's body. You must respect his mind, his heart, his soul and in turn, he must respect yours. Otherwise you are only a toy for the man and therefore, a fool._" Her mother had said while brushing Sakura's hair.

_Mama…_ Sakura thought sadly. _Too soon was life taken from you. I swear on your blood you will get your vengeance._

She stole another glance at Gaara, relaxing slightly when she observed that he appeared to be sleeping. Or at least, she hoped so. His eyes were closed and his breathing rhythm was even. Sakura watched him for several minutes in order to discern whether or not he was feigning sleep.

Nope, no change.

She rose quietly and softly crept towards him.

_I am going to figure you out, Gaara of the Desert. Just you wait and see._

----------

_Kakashi's flashback continued_

Kakashi was a little uncomfortable. Who wouldn't be? After all, the mother of his _student_ was telling him intimate details of her past. Tomoe noticed his slight discomfort.

"_Aa, I apologize, Kakashi-sensei. I must have been carried away._" Tomoe bowed her head slightly in apology.

Kakashi returned it with a slight bow of his own. "_It was of no consequence Tomoe-san. If you could please continue…_?"

"_Ah, yes._ _Well, as soon as I dived in, images started to rush into my head. They didn't make much sense. A spark. A cry. Various women laughing. Someone swinging me up in the air. Leaves. Mist. A scream. A feather. The end of a crane-patterned shawl. Someone screaming my name. A flash of white. Then that was all. " _

Tomoe's eyes strayed towards the window, which faced the Haruno's elaborate garden.

"_It was all too much to take in. My eyes flew open and I breathed in the water. Panic clouded my mind, my body. I couldn't find my sense of direction. I didn't know which way the surface was. I knew I was drowning._"

Her brow creased in recollection of her near-death experience. Her hands grasped the teacup a little tighter.

"_I most certainly would have drowned in that water… but something clicked in my mind. It was like that feeling one receives as soon as they fit in that last piece of the puzzle. It was …Fulfillment. Have you ever experienced a feeling like that, Kakashi-sensei?_"

Kakashi frowned. He too directed his gaze to the window. Inhaling deeply, he caught the faint whiff of peach blossoms.

"_Aa… once Tomoe-san. Just once._"

----------

Gaara felt her restlessness. Annoying brat. Still, she brought about a refreshing change. No one had ever talked back to him. He smirked as he heard the soft padding of her feet. She was coming. She must have thought he was asleep.

_As if Shukaku would allow me to._

She was hesitant, he could feel it. _Stay still…_

Eventually she was close enough for him to feel her warmth radiating from her body.

_How long has it been since anyone has voluntarily come this close to me? Not since…_

Unconsciously, his brow furrowed and Sakura stepped back.

_Kuso, keep still. I want to see what this girl is up to._

Gaara relaxed his brow and did not stir again. Sakura exhaled softly. She crept towards him again, closer than before.

_What is she…_

He stiffened inwardly. What was this feeling? Her hand… her hand had brushed his bangs away…! It followed the broad arch of his forehead, the feather-light touch stopping at the mark of the tattoo. The area that her fingertips rested on was burning. She brushed a few of his baby hairs back gently. Then her fingers skimmed their way backed to the tattoo. Gaara felt …nervous. For the first time in his life. What was she doing?

Her fingers drifted to other parts of his face. Tucking a few stray hairs behind his ear. Tickling his nose with her fragrance. But eventually, those damnable fingers would glide back to his tattoo.

"Love…" she whispered.

Then softly, oh so softly, she traced the brushstrokes of the character. The fingers danced along the contour of his face before reaching his lips. Gaara could _swear_ that he could feel her smile.

"You…are an odd one, Gaara of the Desert." She said softly. Then she slowly withdrew her hand and treaded back to her corner. Gaara released a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

_How long…how long has it been since someone has shown me such tenderness…? _

Gaara watched Sakura curl up before sleep claimed her, and took her consciousness to another plane. Although there was hardly any light, he could see that the hue of her hair softened her features and highlighted her feminine form. He shook his head.

_Remember Gaara, tenderness will lead to love… And love will only lead to betrayal._

Gaara breathed heavily and his glance turned to Sakura's sleeping form again. Would he risk it again?

_You fool. Have you learned **nothing**? _A voice hissed in his mind. _Will you suffer the pains of betrayal again? Hell boy, you hardly know her._

But there was time to learn, wasn't there? She had some interest in him, didn't she? The voice in his mind snorted.

_She was only satisfying some urge that she got close to the great Gaara and lived to tell the tale._

Gaara stiffened. He had not considered that possibility. But…

_Then why would she have shown such tenderness in her action?_

The voice was silent. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes melded into hours. Gaara watched Sakura toss and turn in her sleep. Occasionally, she would cry '_Mama!_'.

It was those cries that began the chiseling of Gaara's stone heart.


	5. Of Silk and Feathers

Chapter IV: Of Silk and Feathers

AN: You know the deal, No Naruto for me.

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"Kakashi-senseiiiiiii…. This is boring!" Naruto whined. "Come on, come on. Get to the point already! We wasted over an hour listening to this story!"

"If you are worried about Sakura, Naruto, our ANBU members are still searching for her with the co-operation of our allies." said Tsunade as her eyes gazed fondly over the boy.

Only then did Naruto notice that while Kakashi was telling the story, the ANBU members had silently slipped out the room. He twitched.

"Ahaha, of course I knew that they weren't here! I'm not the future Hokage for nothing!" he laughed sheepishly while scratching his head.

_You idiot. You didn't even notice at all._ Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.

"Kakashi, if you would please continue…" Tsunade reclined. Kakashi nodded.

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_Flashback_

Tomoe sipped her tea and took in the slight bitter aroma of the refreshment.

"_I didn't know what happened. Or why. But the next thing I knew, I was breaking through the water and then I broke surface. But I didn't stop. I was literally flying out of the water. I was naked before. Now I had on the finest garments I had ever seen. _"

Kakashi's eyes widened. He had heard of stories like this before… Tomoe caught the dawning of recognition in his eyes and smiled softly.

"_Mind you, I didn't grow wings. No, I was not an angel. But I had such power coursing through my veins; I had self-confidence that I lacked so previously._ _As soon as I reached shore, I inspected my reflection in the water._"

"_Imagine my surprise when instead of an average pretty girl, I found an exquisite woman!_" she laughed. Her eyes clouded over with reminiscence and a soft smile played on her lips.

"_An outfit made out of the finest silk I have ever felt and seen. A high-collared black shirt, pinned by a cloud brooch with writing I could not decipher. The lower part of the attire flounced in an abundance of purple, with a white rim patterned with black cranes. Most interesting of all was this encirclement of silk that hovered both above and around me and tied around my middle. I found that if I willed it, I could move that silk shawl anywhere and at anything."_

"_I discovered it was sharp. Dangerously so. As an experiment, I whipped the shawl end at a trunk of an enormous, healthy tree. That shawl cut that tree in half like a knife going through paper. It was absolutely incredible._ _Never was I so happy in my life than I was in those few precious hours… excluding my time with Sakura-chan, of course._"

Kakashi's mind stumbled, trying to process the detailed information that Tomoe had just revealed to him. Tomoe went to the kitchen and brought back a jug of sake. She poured Kakashi a cup, then herself. Kakashi nodded his thanks before downing the cup.

"_So you are a tennyo then._" He confirmed quietly.

Tomoe nodded before pouring Kakashi another cup.

"_I know that you probably do not believe me. I would not expect you to, normally. But it is for Sakura's sake that you must believe the entire story._"

Kakashi frowned. A tennyo… there were, of course, legends surrounding these celestial ladies. Extremely beautiful maidens from heaven with extraordinary powers. They had a penchant for bathing in the earth's tranquil waters, and were more often than not caught that way.

Tomoe had just described her _hagoromo_ to him, special dresses made of materials not from this earth. _Hagoromos _were as different to each owner as their personalities. _Each_ _hagoromo_ had a silk shawl designed to kill anything that would harm them. At the same time, they could grasp an egg gently without crushing it.

In history, rumors had it that certain female members of each village were a secret part of a tennyo clan. It was never proven however. But here was living evidence that there were such women. It made Kakashi wonder… How many other women were like Tomoe in the village?

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Sakura sneezed. Damn, the cold conditions of the cell weren't working well with her. She tried to move around as little as possible to preserve energy. But the food given just wasn't enough for her. She constantly had to be on her guard too. Not knowing when the enemy could destroy you was an unknown factor one could not ignore.

She looked in Gaara's direction again. He was staring at her. _What? What does he want?_

"Do you have something you need?" she asked in a clipped tone.

Gaara's eyes widened a fraction before his nonchalant expression settled over his face again.

"No." Then he turned his gaze away.

Sakura felt a little guilty. After all, there's no law in the world that said it was wrong for people to stare.

_Still,_ she argued, _it's a bit awkward and uncomfortable._

_Hypocrite!_ her mind screamed. _Didn't you invade his personal space last night, touching his face and all that?_

_That's a different story! He was **sleeping**! He couldn't have possibly felt uncomfortable if he was **unconscious**! _

_Pah. Just keep telling yourself that, moron._ And then the voice retreated back into her mind.

Sakura groaned. God, now she was arguing with herself? She was going insane!

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Naruto's jaw dropped. Sakura's mother…was a tennyo? A celestial maiden! He looked around the room to see everyone else's reaction.

Tsunade-sama looked pensive, but not shocked. She had obviously heard this before. Sasuke…well Sasuke had the faintest expression of shock before he covered it with neutrality when Naruto caught him.

_If Sakura-chan's mother was a tennyo, then technically wouldn't Sakura-chan be a tennyo also? No, she's a ninja. And that's that._ Naruto nodded to himself empathetically. Still, this story was taking an awful lot of time and who knew what tortures Sakura was going through…

"Sensei, hurry up. I don't think we have that much time."

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Sakura sneezed again. Not good… already she could feel the onset of a cold. The suppressed chakra did little to boost her immune system, and she could feel her face was flushed a little with fever.

_Damn it all, this is no good! I can't stay in this condition! If those guards come flying through the doors and I'm like this, I'm done for._

So what was she to do? Beg them for another bowl of soup? Not likely. She scanned over the medical journal in her mind. I have to stay warm, drink lots of fluids…

_Water's plentiful, but where am I going to find heat?_

Her eyes strayed towards Gaara's hunched form.

_Oh gods…_

Gaara traced random kanji on the sand. Nothing better to do. _Why don't you go over and **talk** to her? _

He snorted. _I don't **do** 'talk'._ Gaara noticed that Sakura was looking at him again.

"Do you have something you need?" he sneered with the same clipped tone she used earlier with him.

Sakura blushed, slightly abashed. "Actually…"

She paused, then scrunched up her face with determination. Gaara thought it was a little cute, actually. Wait. Pause. He did not think that. Alright, erased.

"Actually… I was wondering if I could receive a favor from you, Gaara-san."

_A favor? Gaara-san? Hn…it must be a pretty huge favor if she's started to call me 'Gaara-san'_ Gaara tilted his head slightly, letting her know that he was listening.

Sakura coughed again. "I-I think I'm coming down quite a nasty cold. And I believe that it would not be advantageous in our current sitution, should I be sick and we were ambushed. So for that reason I ask…"

Gaara raised his eyebrow. Sakura cursed inwardly at herself. _Just get it over with, you moron! _

"What is it you want." Gaara was getting impatient, he _hated _waiting games. Sakura cleared her throat.

"I was wondering if you could share some of your body heat with me, Gaara-san."

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Kakashi's head was feeling slightly heavy. Drinking two jugs of sake was something he could usually handle, but with information like this…

Tomoe just quietly served him again and again, sewing a new garment for Sakura during the silence. At long last, she put down the garment and looked at Kakashi. Kakashi inclined his head, letting her know that he was ready for the next stage of her story.

"_I was a tennyo. There was no doubt about it. But I knew it was dangerous to let anyone know. After all, now that I had awakened my spirit and my power, what woman in her right mind would choose to stay grounded to the earth forever?_ _I hid my hagoromo carefully, wrapping it with newspaper so that it looked like preserved winter clothing. On the nights when I knew it would be cloudy, I took off to the skies. It was such a glorious feeling. However I was careless one night…"_

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_Tomoe's flashback_

Tomoe flew through the clouds, laughing gaily at the bewildered look the nocturnal birds threw at her. Needing some space to rest, she glided down towards the shore of a peaceful waterfall.

_That waterfall certainly looks inviting…_ she eyed it longingly. _Ah, what the hell_

She carefully took off her hagoromo and hid it underneath a bush. Then she jumped gleefully into the water. Standing underneath the waterfall, she could feel all of the day's tension just melting away.

Minutes later, she stepped out from the waterfall, wringing her hair of all excess water. It was then that she noticed a man staring at her. Suddenly Tomoe felt nervous. Defenseless.

"What's a pretty lady doing here all by herself, hmm…?" he purred to her.

Tomoe felt disgusted. "Get out of here, you sick pervert. Can't you give a lady some privacy?"

The man stepped towards her. Tomoe took a step back. "Get away from me, I said!"

Suddenly the man vanished. Tomoe ran towards the bush, desperate to try and reach for her hagoromo, when she was slammed onto the ground. She groaned.

"I wouldn't be doing that, my little lady. You have… absolutely no idea what a wet and beautiful woman moaning underneath a man does to him." A voice chuckled above her.

Tomoe struggled against him "I…wouldn't…be suggesting…that either…" he hissed.

"_GET OFF!** GET OFF!**_" she screamed.

The man licked her ear. Tomoe shuddered. "You are…the most exquisite woman I will have ever done this to." He whispered in her ear.

And then he savagely captured her lips. Tomoe could feel tears streaking down her face. Is this what her life will end to? Merely becoming another victim in this creep's long list of rapes? God…no. **_No_**.

She swiftly tried to knee him in the crotch, but the man had merely placed a palm on her leg and stopped the attack. He grinned.

"Feisty little bitch, aren't we?" She spat in his face. "_I am not your bitch_."

The man's face darkened. "We shall see about _that_." His hand trailed downwards and Tomoe choked back a sob.

"I'm going to enjoy this, my flower."

And then he thrust. Yet Tomoe felt no pain. Warily, she looked into the man's face and suppressed a scream.

A kunai was lodged in his throat.

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Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "_So…you were a rape victim?_"

"_Almost. Not quite._" She murmured.

"_Aa… so what happened?_"

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Blood spattered onto her face and chest. Tomoe was beginning to hyperventilate.

"What…what the hel…" the man choked on his own blood. Then his eyes grew dim and his body slumped over Tomoe.

Shrieking, she threw the man off of her. Scrambling on all fours to get away from him, she backed into a tree. She clutched at her arms and unconsciously, tucked into a fetal position.

_Oh gods… Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…_

Suddenly a hand was placed on her shoulder. Tomoe screamed, clawing at the hand with her nails.

"Ssh… Ssh now. It's alright." A soft voice said reassuringly.

Tomoe turned her tear-streaked face towards the voice's face. A man with golden eyes smiled down gently, and held out her hagoromo.

Sobbing, she threw herself at the man above her.

"_Arigatou… Domo arigatou…._" She sobbed into his shoulder.

The man was slightly taken aback. But he patted her shoulder awkwardly, then proceeded to wrap his jacket over her.

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"_The day I met that man was the day my life changed forever._" Tomoe whispered. "_He took me to his home that night and took care of me for awhile, as I had caught a severe fever from the stress of the situation._ _Eventually, I fell in love with him. He was kind. He was devoted to me. He touched me in such ways that could never even dream of. It was one of the most passionate, and later, regretful moments of my life._"

"_He?_"

"_Yes. Orochimaru, the father of my child._"


	6. The Beginning of the End

Chapter V: The Beginning of the End

AN: I look at my hands, and they don't hold any documents. So no Naruto rights :(

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Naruto screamed. Really, he screamed.

"**ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT SICK BASTARD IS SAKURA'S _FATHER?_" **

Kakashi nodded. Naruto felt sick. Sasuke looked shocked, then the smallest inkling of sympathy rose within him.

_So... she too has a freak for a family member…._

"I know, Naruto. I understand how you feel. Imagine my shock when Tomoe told me this. I almost choked to death on my sake." Kakashi said reassuringly as he patted Naruto.

Naruto was half laughing, half sobbing.

"God… poor Sakura-chan." He whispered.

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Gaara stared at her. Was she insane? Perhaps the virus swimming around in her system was clashing with that chakra-stopping fluid, thus causing some type of temporary insanity…

He shook his head. No, chances of that happening were one to a million. Still…she could be that one in a million chance.

"Gaara-san?" she ventured.

Gaara was vaguely annoyed. _She's acting timid again. It doesn't suit her…_ Silence settled over the room.

"Why?" he finally asked, turning his head to look at the wall. Sakura blinked.

"…Huh? I don't understand what you mean…"

"Why me?"

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "I hardly find that a stone wall will lend me warmth, Gaara-san."

_The 'Gaara-san' thing is really starting to aggravate me…_ "That's not what I meant."

"Oh? Then I'm afraid that I still don't understand."

The silence grew heavy. Eventually, Gaara turned to look at Sakura; fathomless jade met luminous emerald.

"_Why would you be willing to come in direct contact with a creature like me?_"

Sakura was speechless for a moment. Gaara continued to look at her intently.

"I… I…" Gaara snorted and looked away. Several tense moments passed by and Sakura had failed to come up with an adequate response.

"_What were you expecting, that she actually wanted to be held by you? YOU? The plague of humankind, a mere vessel of mine? No, she would have nothing to do with you, my boy. No one would. Remember that." _Shukaku sneered as Gaara fisted his hands.

"I see…" He muttered to Sakura. "You only want to come close to the 'monster' because of necessity, perhaps even to satisfy some type of egotistical curiosity."

Sakura balled her fists. _No…_

"Your fear of attack forces you to make the decision between death and sharing your body with a monster. Therefore you choose to make the choice between the lesser of the two evils, that being the temporary heat exchange. You have no regard for---"

"_It's because I trust you_!" she cried.

Gaara's eyes widened.

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"Tomoe told me that there was a high possibility that Sakura could also be a Tennyo. She could surpass all others simply because Orochimaru was her father." Kakashi sighed, rubbing his forehead in anxiety.

Tsunade unfurled a fan and waved it lazily back and forth. "So… Sakura is a direct descendent from a Tennyo line. Her biological father is the most feared man of this time. It is not for a small matter that she has been kidnapped. Therefore, I have come up with three possible explanations."

She slowly rose from her reclining position, her attention arrested by the birds sitting outside the window.

"_Scenario One_: Someone has kidnapped Sakura for her power. Perhaps they have heard Tomoe's story and wish to use that same almost-rape situation with Sakura. Thus causing Sakura to trust the man almost immediately. They would hope that the trust would turn to love and the man will then sire Sakura's children. Consequently, he would gain both a powerful ally and subordinates."

The men frowned. Yes…it was plausible. A loving wife and children would sacrifice anything and everything to ensure the survival and happiness of the father figure. But Sakura would not betray her village…

"_Scenario Two_: Sakura was taken to atone for her mother's past. It was said that Tomoe was not an innocent person. Under Orochimaru's influence, she killed many under the belief that 'it was for the betterment of the village.' It was not difficult to believe, Orochimaru having a honeyed tongue of a serpent."

Naruto grimaced at the combined effect of the words 'honey' and 'Orochimaru'.

"However," Tsunade continued, "This explanation is weak. If the attackers wanted atonement, then surely they would have been satisfied with killing _both_ mother and daughter. Which leads me to Scenario Three…"

A tense silence filled the room. Everyone's attention was focused on Tsunade, whose eyes were closed in fierce concentration.

"_Scenario Three_: Orochimaru planned to confuse us by placing weak, replaceable information and casting rumors that the information was a vital part to his plan. The information will draw our strongest jounin team, thus leaving Sakura unprotected and easy to capture. He will then send troops to capture her, eliminating any standing in their way. By using her, or turning her against us, he will be able to destroy the entire village."

Tsunade snapped her fan and tucked it away inside her sleeve. Everyone in the room was quiet, reflecting on the possibility of scenario three.

"You said that Orochimaru could… use Sakura as a destroyer. How could he achieve that?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"The Tennyo clan is _not_ just a pretty fairytale, Sasuke. Everyone has reason to fear them. Ah Iruka-sensei, great timing." Iruka nodded in greeting as he closed the door behind him. "A history lesson about the Tennyo if you please."

Frowning slightly at the subject, the academy teacher positioned himself in his orator position and began to speak.

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_The Tennyo Clan members were indeed, beautiful as rumored. It was also said that these women were the pride and joy of the Goddess Marisha-ten herself. Of course, the clan could not survive with only just females. Sometimes, they allowed themselves to be caught at the bathing spots. Then birthing their children, they would take back their hagoromo and their children back with them to the heavens. _

_Other women were not so lucky. They either could not find their hagoromos or their husbands would refuse to give it back to them. The Tennyo women, though strong in certain aspects, were usually powerless without their hagoromos. As a result, they had to comply with their husbands' every wish and will. It was an excruciating lifestyle. Sometimes these women would find escape with the help of their children, sometimes not. _

_In rare cases, the Tennyo committed suicide, so great was their grief and loneliness. These women were not all grace and tears, however. It was said that if one could manage to enrage a Tennyo, it would mean his death and a curse upon his loved ones forevermore. _

_One such case was with Nishimoto Sachi. She was a happy woman, blessed with children and a loving samurai husband. She was so happy, in fact, that she had no intention of going back to the heavens. She went out one day to bathe and when she came back, she found her family slaughtered and her home consumed by fire. No one knew how, but the next day, four men were slaughtered mercilessly in the same manner as her family. The only trace of evidence left behind was a burnt piece of her silk hagoromo. _

_Such is the power of the Tennyo…_

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Naruto turned to Tsunade. "Hey, hey! Orochimaru… Orochimaru wouldn't kill his own _daughter, _would he?"

Tsunade sighed.

"Naruto…don't underestimate Orochimaru. He has a dream, a crazy dream, but it's still a dream. And he would sacrifice everything and anyone to achieve it. …Even his own daughter."

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Sakura breathed heavily. There was no response from Gaara. Seconds crawled by, turning into even slower minutes.

Suddenly, he laughed. Sakura shivered. It wasn't a laugh of joy, nor a laugh of mirth. It was that laugh he used in battles. It was that insane laughter…

"It's because you **_trust_** me?" he chuckled. "My god. Do you know who I **_am?_** I have killed countless people from your village! I almost killed your teammates! And yet you say you **_trust_** me? **_Are you that naïve?_**"

Sakura was silent. She didn't dare respond until she could look into his face. Sakura closed her eyes. _Mama… Is he shielding himself from me…_?

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_-Flashback-_

"_Sometimes, Sakura-chan, people say things that they don't mean. They do this to protect themselves._" Tomoe whispered into her crying daughter's hair as she stroked her back.

"_Then…then why do they have to hurt others too?_" Sakura sniffled. Tomoe sighed.

"_Some people… some people may have been hurt too much in their past. That's why they create a shell around themselves. They don't want to feel anymore pain, Sakura-chan, so they push people away from them. They believe that if you don't have any friends or loved ones, then it's easier not to get hurt._"

Sakura was silent for a moment. She clasped her mother's kimono tighter to her.

"_So if that should happen to you, Sakura-chan, then brush pass those words. Words are almost meaningless nowadays._"

"_Then…how will I know Mama? How can I tell?_" Sakura asked quietly, looking into her mother's serene face.

Tomoe smiled softly. "_Look into their eyes. Then you will see…_"

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Sakura stood up. Gaara ceased laughing. Slowly, she began to walk.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura said nothing. She continued to move toward him. Gaara inched back.

_Ah…now the tables have turned, Gaara_.

"I said, **_what are you doing!_"**

Now she was five paces away. Three. Two… She knelt before him. Gaara was taking in shallow breaths. She searched his eyes. The color was mesmerizing. Jade eyes… _It suits him well…_

Gaara was visibly shaking. _She…she's close again._ _Why is she looking at me like that? What does she want from me…?_

Sakura stretched out her hand. Gaara's eyes widened. _Is she… is she going to touch my mark?_ The hand drew back a little. Sakura was hesitant.

_It was a different story when he was sleeping… But now…_

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Minutes seemed to pass by, both only staring into each other's eyes. Neither wanting to break this contact. Both were breathing heavily. Warm air was exchanged between them, creating an electrified sensation. She was close to him now. So close that their noses could be touching. So close that she could dive and taste his lips…

Sakura mentally shook herself. She turned her focus to his eyes. Panicked, yes. A little uncertain. She inched closer towards him. Ah…she found what she was looking for. Remnants of pain flickered in his eyes, covered by false self-confidence. _Remarkable eyes like his…they shouldn't be clouded by pain…_ Softly, she smiled.

Gaara was taken back. Why was she smiling? He could smell her fragrance. _Sweet tangerine and vanilla…_ A warm palm cupped his cheek. All thoughts vanished from his mind. All that remained was the warmth…and her eyes. Her brilliant emerald eyes…

"_You have…amazing eyes, Gaara-san._" She whispered.

Gaara tried to control his breathing, his composure. He forced a smirk. She would _not_ get the best of him. "_Drop the 'Gaara-san.' It annoys me._"

Sakura returned the smirk. "_Aa…then, what else annoys you, …Gaara?_"

She was moving closer to him now. The exquisite heat building between them was almost …intolerable. She knelt between his legs and leaned over him, her hair acting as a silken pink screen, obscuring the world around them. Gaara hissed involuntarily. An amused smile graced her lips.

"_The way your moods fluctuate. Your voice. Your eyes. Your entire exist---_"

Sakura's body pressed completely against his, stopping all conversation. Gaara took in a breath through his gritted teeth. Soft. Supple. Their breaths mingled. Gaara could feel the beginnings of beaded sweat trickle down his back. Sakura gingerly ran her fingers through his hair. They danced downward to his neck, then glided to his chest. Gaara arched.

"_You are… the worst liar I have ever met._" She breathed.

Then her lips captured his.

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End file.
